From an Academisation to the Profession

Background: Physiotherapy is on the path to gain national and international recognition. Further establishment in the graduate range seems only to be possible in developing physiotherapy as a profession. However, this demands a supporting and independent science for its justification. Objective/Method: This article submits a proposal in which way a therapy science can be justified. Following an outline of the general problems of theoretical science the common-sensical subject of science is discussed. This is a valid criterion for scientific recognition. Result: The common-sensical subject of physiotherapy may be described by 4 sites of action (musculoskeletal system, viscera, motor control and development, behaviour and experience) and characteristics (patients' and therapists' activities and within the scope of interaction). Conclusion: The transfer of the common-sensical to the scientific subject of physiotherapy still has to be worked on.